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RE:Live Rock Ethics Question,

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I did my research with help from cliff and others, I finally found that you can make your own Rock from concrete and oyster shells, mixed and then add rock salt, while your leaching these self made rocks the salt dissolves and leave a more porous structure. 6-8 weeks to leach. Or there is a product called aragocrete which is a substance you can buy and do the same thing with.

I also found that carribsea makes a product called rock reef, for about a dollar a pound plus shipping. I went to my LFS and purchased 50 lbs of this for pretty cheap

If you’re going to cycle with live rock, you could either get some live rock for sale by other hobbyists in your area, or purchase some aquacultured live rock like in the link provide by Kaybe in your other thread.

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

There is also a product called Real Reef Rock and that is a manufactured product. It is cured in a captive coral system. No pests of any kind. Very clean, great buffer, lots of coralline, and completely reef friendly.

If you want to get true live rock then I suggest getting it from friends or local people in your area. It is already here in the States (or where ever you may be) and so it is not so bad as going out and buying rock shipped in from a reef. A lot of people are breaking down reef tanks and are looking to get rid of their live rock which makes it easy pickings for those who are starting up. Plus its usually the best stuff around because its pre-cycled (no die-off) and it still has all the goodies like copes and amphipods.

A lot of the man made rock is nice, but it is often painted and the coralline is fake which is quite sad. If you were to get some man made rock and you want real coralline, go to a LFS or a friend who has a reef tank and scrape a bunch of their glass and tank and bag it up and bring it back to your tank. All of that pink crumble is going to seed your tank nicely.

A lot of the man made rock is nice, but it is often painted and the coralline is fake which is quite sad. If you were to get some man made rock and you want real coralline, go to a LFS or a friend who has a reef tank and scrape a bunch of their glass and tank and bag it up and bring it back to your tank. All of that pink crumble is going to seed your tank nicely.

Yes, it is painted, but it does have real coralline on it as well. The paint is just just so you don't have to look at a tank full of white rock while you wait for the coralline to grow in. It doesn't take long either.